Gov. Matt Meyer appoints nine members to the newly created Delaware LGBTQ+ Commission, including Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance Executive (DESCA) Director Cora Castle as its chair.
Castle believes not only will her lived experience as a trans woman bring important perspective to the board, but also her breadth of expertise in policy, science and entrepreneurship.
The new commission is dedicated solely to advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, serving as an advisory body to state leaders on policies around mental health, education, housing, healthcare and civil rights.
The commission’s first task from Gov. Meyer is to design policies ensuring the safety and accessibility of relevant healthcare services for LGBTQ+ Delawareans, something Castle is particularly passionate about after a lack of appropriate Delaware providers prompted her to seek care in Philadelphia during her transition.
“The first thing is creating a culture where we attract physicians and healthcare providers who have experience dealing with LGBTQ+ patients and getting them to come to the state so that we can make it easier for members of the community to get to a physician,” Castle said, noting every time she sought care, she had to take an entire day off work to commute.
Castle also plans to lead the commission in helping provide better support for LGBTQ+ students in Delaware’s education system, as well as bolster mental health services for the community.
She says despite the current federal administration’s efforts to diminish LGBTQ+ rights, particularly around gender affirming care, she remains committed to advocating for members of the community and beyond.
“I really want to do everything that I can do to reassure all Delawareans, whether they’re LGBTQ+ or not, that the purpose of our commission is to ensure that every single Delawarean has the opportunity to, again, participate in society and receive the benefits of the social contract,” she said.
Other members appointed to the commission include Vienna Cavazos as vice chair, Dwayne Bensing, Noah Duckett, Larissa Eriksen, John Kane, Leslie Ledogar, Daniel Lopez, and Mark Purpura.
Interview Transcript:
PETROWICH: So Cora, for starters, tell me a little bit about your background, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community, and what you think you'll bring to this brand new commission as its chair?
CASTLE: Yeah, I think one of the amazing things about the team that the governor's put together here is, I mean, there is just such a wealth – there's really an embarrassment of wealth of resources on this commission, people across the spectrum, no pun intended.
But I think one thing stands out to me as I look at the resumes of the folks on the commission. You know, there's clearly just an incredible wealth of people who have deep, deep experience in advocacy for LGBTQ, and I also have some experience in that regard, but I think the thing that really stands out to me, and why I think the governor selected me, is because I am very broad, right? I have a very large breadth of experience in various types of policy, not just advocacy policy, and also I have one foot in economics – making sure that we're moving, and making sure that there's economic progress, and making sure that we're doing things that are practical and useful for everyone.
And, of course, I am trans, and I have a lot of experience working with our legislators and doing everything that I can, just personally – I have worked on legislation outside of any connection to any organizations with members of the legislative body. And so I think that I have a lot of initiative because most of my advocacy work has been kind of solo, like lone wolf type stuff. Just identifying things that need to be done, right? Write a draft legislative package and knock on legislators door, right? So I really think that that is probably the biggest reason why the governor selected me to sort of run things.
PETROWICH: Going off of your lived experience a little bit, as we noted, this is the first commission of its kind in Delaware. So talk to me a little bit about why you think a commission like this is necessary, particularly in the First State, and what your vision is for this body moving forward?
CASTLE: Yeah, sort of in reverse, my vision is to make sure that every single Delawarean has the opportunity to participate in society, right? And to realize the benefits of the social contract, right? We all wake up, we go to work, we get paid, and for that, we expect to be afforded the opportunity to be productive members of society. And I think Delaware is a place– I'm very proud of Delaware. All of my friends who I know who live out of state, I always tell them, “If you're looking for a place to move, come move to Delaware because I feel very safe here.” But the fact is that there's still plenty of work to do. Even in the most progressive states, there's still things that can be done.
So I think there's a broad recognition that what we're trying to do here is shore up our victories where we have them, make sure that they're locked in cement, and then also identify other areas where we can make even more progress, particularly with progress in the health sector, health and human services. Ensuring that everyone in the community has proper access to all of the proper health tools that modern society provides us.
And I think one of the things that is really important for the commission to do is look at the intersectionality between a lot of the things that members of our community experience and really understand, how does this intersectionality produce outcomes that might not be so great for the community? And how do we prevent those intersectionality events from occurring so that we can sort of tackle people's issues as they come?
PETROWICH: I want to go back to a little bit about what you said about the healthcare policy because that's actually the first official task that Gov. Meyer gave this board – designing policies to ensure the safety and accessibility of relevant healthcare services for Delaware’s LGBTQ+ community. So talk a little bit more about why you think healthcare is such an important policy area to focus on when it comes to equity and inclusion for this community.
CASTLE: So I can give you a very lived example. When I transitioned, I had to go to Philadelphia in order to receive proper healthcare. At the time, there were really no suitable clinics or physicians in-state that I could find – and I looked – who were very familiar with the situations that I face, the conditions that I need to be concerned of and aware of and the tests and things and medical procedures and things that are important for me. And so I mean, it was very, very difficult. I mean, every time I had to go to the doctor, I had to take a day off work, right? It was just kind of a mess.
So, you know, the first thing is creating a culture where we attract physicians and healthcare providers who have experience dealing with LGBTQ+ patients and getting them to come to the state so that we can make it easier for members of the community to get to a physician, I think that's one of the main things.
And you know, the elephant in the room, of course, is that there is a significant threat from the federal executive in an effort to reduce access to medical care for members of our community, and so we have to counteract that by being extra vigilant in-state, and I know that we can do that.
PETROWICH: That actually leads into kind of where I wanted to wrap up, which is just, in a time of heightened political division following this most recent presidential election, are there any misconceptions you want to address about the work of a commission like this, or what you would say to those who may not see its value?
CASTLE: I'll tell you, I was born in Delaware. I actually live in a building literally three blocks away from the building I was born in, so my house is three blocks away from the building I was born in. But I was raised in Texas, I was raised in Alaska, I was raised in Missouri. So my mom loved a man in uniform – probably a few too many – but the point is, I have been all around, and I've also been to every single state in the country. And one of the things that I have realized is that we really have a lot more in common than we have in opposition to one another.
And it's, it's really unfortunate that much political hay can be made by driving wedges between people. So I think that the direct answer to your question is, I really want to do everything that I can do to reassure all Delawareans, whether they're LGBTQ+ or not, that the purpose of our commission is to ensure that every single delawarean has the opportunity to again, participate in society and receive the benefits of the social contract under which we all live.
